Each year, The Pittsford Garden Club places flowers on the grave of Franc Fassett Pugsley. Franc Fassett Pugsley lived in Pittsford with her husband, Frank Pugsley. He was the mayor.

Known as Franc Fassett to her friends, she loved wildflowers and rare plants. Her articles on flowers and conservation appeared in horticulture magazines.

Few of her friends were surprised when she founded The Pittsford Garden Club in 1930, the oldest garden club in the area. Annual dues were 50 cents back then.

I recently spoke to Elizabeth Rhody, the Vice-President of Membership for the Pittsford Garden Club to hear one member’s story. Not surprising that Rhody’s mother, Alma Jackson, an avid gardener who passed away in 2005, had been a member of the club for over 50 years and served as its president from 1951-53.

I asked Rhody why she wanted to become a member of a garden club. “I joined when I moved to Pittsford from Gorton, Massachusetts in 1991. I wanted to meet women with similar interests to mine,” says Rhody. Elizabeth who likes to garden, keeps up the gardens at her family home on three acres. “We have island gardens, ornamental grasses and very good soil.” She also enjoys flower arranging.

Elizabeth is proud of the many beautification and conservation projects The Pittsford Garden Club has participated in over the years and the rich history of the club which is nationally federated– an honor bestowed on the best. The Pittsford Garden Club is one of six garden clubs in Pittsford. Rhody tells me there are 42+ garden clubs in Western New York.

Three years ago, The Pittsford Garden Club received an award from Historic Pittsford for its work in preservation in both the Town and Village of Pittsford. Community projects are too numerous to list.

A few highlights of their community outreach: members created an outdoor reading room at a Pittsford elementary school, planted a garden near an athletic field at Pittsford-Mendon High School and planted grasses and flowers at the rear entrance of Spiegel Community Center.

They present Pittsford Community Library with books on gardening each year and deliver a floral arrangement to the library each week.

Thirty-one members strong, members work cooperatively with the Town. During Canal Days, members of the Pittsford Garden Club sell ‘Posies to go,’ small bouquets of posies in mason jars, wrapped with ribbon and placed in brown bags.

Although there are fewer afternoon teas and flower shows, and no more Victory Gardens from WWII, they remain an active, thriving garden club. The club meets in the Fisher Room at the Pittsford Library on the third Tuesday of each month from 11:30 am – 2:00 pm–except during winter months– and, according to Rhody, they are open to new members. “We attract anyone who likes to garden,” notes Rhody.

Pittsford Garden Club’s yearly plant sale is coming up on May 18th. Members dig up plants and herbs from their own gardens to sell at the fundraiser. According to Elizabeth Rhody, it’s the biggest single event the garden club hosts.

If you love to garden, care about conservation or would like more information on the plant sale or other garden club activities visit, http://pittsfordgardenclub.wordpress.com/

moved to Pittsford as a teenager and attended Pittsford-Mendon High School. Her greatest passion is as a lover of and advocate for the arts and music. Donna attended Rhode Island School of Design and earned an MFA from R.I.T. She’s a free-lance art director, advertising photographer and copywriter. Her love of narrative and film has led her to direct and produce short films.

Donna developed her awareness of and concern for environmental issues after being
exposed to the chemicals in artist materials in art schools in the US and Canada which
made her ill for a time. Healthy today, she finds pleasure in nature, writing, and music.
She enjoys Pittsford for its picturesque locations, wildlife, and community involvement.

was born in Rochester, lived here for a while until his dad was transferred to Connecticut ("Thanks, Xerox."). Then a few years later they came back to Fairport ("Thanks again, Xerox."), but Bill went to Pittsford schools. He moved over to Pittsford in 1979. He worked a bunch of jobs, played in bands, went back to MCC and then U of R for a Bachelor's degree in the early 90's. Shortly after that, he moved to NYC with his wife, Laura, where he worked at Ogilvy & Mather and Christie's doing tech support. They moved out to Northern Virginia during the Internet boom, hoping to get rich quick, but missed that boat. They moved back to Pittsford in 2001, along with two boys. Bill still plays guitar with the Chinchillas, the Squeaky Chair Jazz band, and the Steve Greene Trio occasionally.

"Though all communities and areas get a certain reputation (deserved or not), there is a good quality of life here, and the bulk of the people I have met here and places I have been to reflect that," Bill says. "My reason for wanting to blog about the town is at least twofold -- to vent my views and continue with writing, but also to force myself to engage in the environment in which I live. Too many people complain there is nothing to do or see, but they never actually get out and look. I don't want to be like that."